


Binding Ties

by Accidental_Ducky



Series: MASHverse [1]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: F/M, MASH Verse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-17
Updated: 2016-01-22
Packaged: 2018-05-14 09:47:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,376
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5739001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Accidental_Ducky/pseuds/Accidental_Ducky
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>All Marianna wanted was her older brother back, but she never expected him to come home with an idea to become a superhero. She'll have to adjust her way of life to these new changes, but will Tony be able to accept that his little sister was dying and there was nothing that could be done about it?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Vegas? Vegas.

Marianna read somewhere that chaos is a ladder that people climb to get to a better place, but what the author forgot to mention was that the ladder had several rungs missing and was as treacherous as half of her brother's projects. Honestly, she preferred the chaos, it lets her know she’s still alive—the moment the chaos pauses is the moment she knows one of Tony's designs backfired and landed her ass six feet under the ground. Then again, her half-brother and father are both Asgardians, so she might be put in a boat and torched.

Her point is, for a nineteen year old, her life is rarely calm—she doesn’t have time for boy drama, unless Tony burning his eyebrows off counts as boy drama, and she certainly doesn’t have time to worry about failing classes because Tony does most of her schoolwork for her so that they have a chance to do things together.

The only peaceful time she has to herself is the day she returns from visiting Fandral, which Tony and Mari spend on the couch eating pizza and watching movies. On one such day, she barely has time to walk in the front door before her brother appears with a grin on his face. Tony Stark is a handsome man with short dark brown hair and a stylish goatee, usually dressed in the latest fashion, and has a trail of broken hearts behind him so long that they could circle the United States three times with a few left over.

"Are you ready to spend the best night of your life with your favorite brother," Tony asks, holding out a bottle of water for Mari. She takes it gratefully from him, setting her suitcase down by her feet. "Picture this…." He wraps his arm around her shoulders, waving his other arm out in an arc to set the scene. "Both of us dressed to the nines, casino after casino, and the best booze Vegas has to offer. I'll have my good luck charm beside me, your nose will be stuck in a book—"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," she cuts him off, moving to stand in front of him. "I just got back, what makes you think I want to leave again?"

"That's the best part, Button, you're already packed!"

"Vegas?"

"Vegas. I'll even let you bring your latest fling with you this time. Speaking of which, he's snoring on your bed and I may or may not have drawn on his face with a Sharpie."

"Very mature, you're such a great role model." Mari laughs, picking her suitcase back up and heading for the stairs. "And for your information, Sebastian has been my fling since sophomore year."

"You'll get some sense in your head soon, don't worry." As Tony said earlier, Marianna’s boyfriend was passed out on her bed, his head hanging off the end of it with lewd pictures drawn in Sharpie near his mouth. She rolls her eyes with a smile, setting her suitcase down and getting a fresh change of clothes out of her closet before retreating into her bathroom for a quick shower. The water feels good against her tense muscles, but it doesn't mean that the sharp pain throbbing beneath her skin has stopped.

She looks down at her arms, fighting the urge to cry as the pale blue veins turn a shade darker than a normal person's are. Shaking her head, she runs her fingers through her hair as she rinses the soap out and tries to relax a moment before she’s drug to Tony's private jet and then to Vegas for the night. After a few moments longer of staying in the hot water, Mari reluctantly gets out and begins to dress, pinning her hair to the top of her head to keep her new dress from getting wet.

It was a short black number that Tony bought her a few months ago as a welcome home/late birthday present, though she’s pretty sure it was meant to be a gag gift since he didn't even like her leaving the house in a short skirt. After he adopted her when she was nine, he'd been pretty strict on the dress code and tried to do a no dating rule during high school, but that pretty much backfired after Mari kept convincing Happy to sneak her out at night. That poor man would do anything if she gave him a sweet smile and a big bag of beef jerky, and Tony knew as much.

Once she had the dress zipped up and the straps straightened out, she pulled on her blue and black checkered converses, and then began on her hair. It was a mess and usually tangled badly when it was wet, but she struggled through it and ended up putting it in a low ponytail with her long bangs swept to the side and held out of her eyes by bobby pens. Satisfied with it, she pulled on a necklace, matching earrings, and several bracelets on her left wrist before moving back into her bedroom with some concealer for her poor boyfriend.

It really wouldn’t give him a confidence boost if he was forced to go to Vegas—because Mari’s not going with just Tony—with a dick drawn on his face. She perches on the edge of the bed, reaches out a hand to shake Sebastian’s shoulder, and laughs when he just lets out a snort. Sebastian Alexander Boudreaux was like God’s gift to women because of his boyish good looks. He had shaggy dark brown hair, tanned skin, dark green eyes that always seemed to express his emotions, and a fit build that had Mari drooling. Sure, he wasn’t insanely buff, but anyone with eyes could tell that he went to the gym once a week.

“Babe,” Mari says, giving him another shake,” it’s time to wake up.” He lets out an annoyed groan, rolling onto his side and laying one arm across her legs. “Wake up and I’ll give you free cake.” She’s never seen a grown man move so fast before, Sebastian sitting bolt upright with his eyes wide as he looked around for the cake. “Yeah, I should’ve tried that one first, huh?”

“I thought you were supposed to be home last night,” he yawned, running a hand though his curly hair. “What happened?”

“Fandral and Sif got in a fight.”

“Sif won again?” She nods, scooting closer to him again and wrapping her arms around his neck. “God, how I’ve missed this.” She’d missed it too, growing used to sleeping next to him at night or just being able to call and talk to him whenever she wanted. Neither of those were able to happen during her visits to Asgard since there were no cell towers and her oldest brother would step on Seb if he so much as looked at Mari wrong. In some ways, Fandral’s protectiveness made Tony look like the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man—sure Tony’s a weapons expert and has access to scientific doodads, but Fandral had a sword and he knew how to use it.

“I wish you could come with me on my little family reunions.”

“I don’t, Tony scares me bad enough, but imagine what your father would do to me!” The boy has a point. Mari rests her head on his shoulder, smiling when she feels him wrap an arms around her. “Did you have a good time?”

“Apart from Loki being an ass, I had a great time.”

“So does that mean we get our usual welcome back pizzas?”

“Unfortunately not.” Seb groans, flopping back on the bed and glowering up at the ceiling. “Tony wants to head out to Vegas and he says I can bring you along with me.” Seb’s eyes land on her and he pulls her down beside him, half-lying on top of her once she was pressed flat against the mattress.

“Do you think we can convince him to just let us stay here?”

“Nope,” Tony states, walking into the room without so much as a knock. “And I’ll throw you out of the plane on the way there if you don’t get off my sister. I can do that, you know, it’s my plane and I control the parachutes.” He continued to stare at them until Sebastian was on his feet with his hands in the pockets of his pants, Tony sending a wink in Mari’s direction. He always thought it was cool that he could make Seb afraid even though Seb was a good foot and a half taller. “Are you two lovebirds ready to head out?”

“If I say no?”

“Little boys with things drawn on their faces don’t get a vote.” Seb’s hand goes to his face, a blush coloring his cheeks as he bends down to look in the vanity mirror.

“The hell, Stark?”

“That’s Mister Stark to you, buddy.”

“It’s like living with Jackson all over again.” That was one perk about living on campus, Sebastian didn’t have to worry about his younger brother drawing on his face or shaving off his eyebrows while he slept, but that was a very real possibility whenever he spent the night here.

“At least it’s not permanent.”


	2. Taking out the Trash

Mari looks up from her drink as everyone begins to applause again, spotting Rhodey on stage and holding a glass award of some sort. Given that they’d just seen a stupid video detailing her brother’s life, Mari would bet her right shoe that the award was his. Too bad Tony was currently gambling with a gaggle of girls and a security detail following him around the fun part of the casino. “As liaison to Stark Industries,” Rhodey states, beginning his speech,” I’ve had the unique privilege of serving with a real patriot. He is my friend and he is my great mentor.”  _He’s a pain in my ass_. “Ladies and gentlemen, it is my honor to present this year’s Apogee Award to Mister Tony Stark.” The clapping starts up again and Rhodey’s eyes land on the table reserved for Tony’s friend and Mari, Obadiah shaking his head.

Resigned to her fate, Mari rises and walks up onto the stage to accept the award, her rum and coke in hand since she would be leaving for the casino right after this. “Thanks, Rhodey,” she smiles, taking the award and turning to face the crowd. Her heart was pounding loudly, her pulse hammering in her throat, and she had to fight to keep the happy mask in place, but she thinks she managed well enough. “I’m sure my brother’s tending to one of his charities, so on his behalf, I accept this award and thank you from the bottom of my heart.”  _Social anxiety, thou art my bitch_.

Raising the award with a smile and dealing with the eyes on her for a second more, she turns and exits stage left, making a beeline for the door that leads out of the room. Sebastian would be waiting for her at the bar, but first she had to find her idiot. Rhodey follows her out, easily keeping up with her since she had such a limited stride in this dress. “Feeling a little tipsy, Mari?”

“I got up in front of a huge crowd of people and I gave a speech, I think I’ve earned my drink.”

“Are you going to mutilate him?” It was obvious who he was talking about considering the only  _him_  she’d want to mutilate is Tony fucking Stark. “If you are, then don’t forget invite me.” She smiles up at him, loving the fact that he was always around when she needed him. Unlike Tony, Rhodey was serious most of the time and he was a great example of what a guardian should be. A Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Army, James Rhodes was attractive enough for a man in his mid-forties with dark skin and a fit build that would have soccer moms drooling.

“You know what?” Mari comes to a stop just in the doorway of the lobby, turning to face Rhodey with a smile. “Who better to really talk some sense into Tony than my amazing uncle Rhodey?” She’s called him that her entire life and he seemed to take pride in it, but right now he was seeing through her act like it was made of crystal.

“He’s your brother.”

“You’ve known him longer.”

“I might have an important date.”

“I  _do_  have an important date, and he’s waiting right over there.” Marianna points to Sebastian, Rhodey looking over at him and scowling when Seb waves at them. Mari arches a brow when Rhodey’s dark eyes land back on her, poking out her bottom lip in a pout. “Please, Uncle Rhodey, I just want to have fun and be a teenager.” He looked like he was about to tell her where exactly she could shove her teenage years, but he caved like he usually did whenever she gave him her puppy dog eyes.

“Fine, but your ass better be in your house before midnight.”

“Yes, sir!” She gives him a salute before running across the lobby to Seb, jumping up on the chair beside his own, and giving him a wink. Seb and Mari met in eighth grade, but they never really talked since he’s a year older than her, but they hit it off when Mrs. Naismith asked him to tutor Mari her sophomore year. It was the one good thing that came out of learning about the Civil War besides watching Ozzy playing darts and accidentally nailing the librarian in the foot.  

“How’d it go in there,” he asks, sipping on something orange in a tall glass.

“Well, I had to accept Tony’s award for him  _again_ , but it was fine other than that. They have this salad dressing that tastes like strawberries and, I swear, it’s the best thing I’ve eaten since that mac and cheese your dad made when I was sixteen.” Seb laughs at that, watching her as she relaxed further into the plush seat. “How about out here?”

“Well, I was hit on by an elderly woman with very nice dentures and a college co-ed in a dress that left virtually nothing to the imagination.”

“Mm, should I be jealous?”

“Nah, the old woman only hit on me because she thought I was that werewolf guy and the co-ed was drunk.” Mari snorts, looking around the lobby at all the people passing by. There were no children around this late at night, but there were plenty of middle-aged couples, old women on the rampage, and more than a few college aged kids. “So, how’s your paper for your psych class going?”

“It’s going really great; Tony hasn’t even realized that I’ve been questioning him so much because the paper’s over narcissistic personality disorder.”

“Seriously? What does he think you’re doing?”

“Writing his biography, I think.” She looks up as a crowd of people pass by, numerous men in matching black suits following after a shorter man with slicked back hair and sunglasses. “Speaking of which.” Tony pauses beside their chairs, resting a hand on the back of Mari’s.

“Don’t stay out too late, Button,” he says in as stern a voice as he’s capable when it concerns his sister breaking rules. “And don’t let that drink go to waste.”

“You got it.” He pats her shoulder before walking outside to the waiting car, one of the men in suits standing nearby for when she was ready to go. Being the little sister of the real-life equivalent of Bruce Wayne came with a few dangers, so Mari usually had a bodyguard close by in case of an emergency. Apparently terrorists didn’t care if the person they kidnapped wasn’t a blood relative as long as her brother really cares for them, which limits that list to her and Rhodey.

Knowing she would have to get up early in the morning for some kind of presentation—Tony demanded it be kept a secret—she gulped down the remainder of her drink and stands up, wincing at the slight burn as she swallows. Sebastian follows suit, downing the rest of his drink with a little cough before they start outside to the car waiting for them, passing Tony as a pretty blonde runs over to him.

* * *

"I do anything and everything Mister Stark requires," Pepper was telling the blonde from the night before, a pleasant smile in place," including occasionally taking out the trash. Will that be all?"

“To dumb it down for you, Miss Brown scholar,” Mari interjects as she walks further into the living room,” I’m sure you had fun being arm candy last night, but it’s morning now and you’re obviously less than a ten because my brother wasn’t there the greet you this morning. Please leave the premises or I’ll call security and have your face on the first page of every newspaper in the country as a stalker that couldn’t take no as an answer.” She gives the woman a sweet smile, loving the expression of pure shock on her face as she looks over at Mari “Bye, now.” Pepper grins at her as the woman runs to the bathroom to change and then runs out of the house.

“Wow, and I always thought you were the one that didn’t manipulate people.”

“Grow up the way I did and you quickly learn how to shoo hoes out of the house.”

“Speaking of hoes—”

“He’s in the lab working on an engine.” Mari shrugs, making her way into the kitchen and leaving Pepper to speak with Tony. Unlike Rhodey, Pepper wasn’t afraid to bitch Tony out whenever he needed it, but she was a little uptight sometimes, especially when it came to the several questionable absences Mari had after her adoption was finalized. She and Tony spent almost a month in Los Angeles, rubbing elbows with movie stars and properly grieving her mother’s death. Ten years later and not much had changed except for the whole grief thing.

Breakfast was laid out on the table, a small bowl of mixed fruits and bottle of water for Mari and a bagel for Sebastian whenever he made it downstairs. As it was, Jarvis had kindly woken her up in time for breakfast and even made sure that the small flat screen in the kitchen was playing a rerun of Bones for her. “I trust everything is as you like it, Miss Pierce,” comes the accented, automated voice of Jarvis overhead. He may only be one of Tony’s little inventions, but he was also Mari’s confidant when she was nine and feeling overwhelmed.

“It’s great, Jarvis,” she says, smiling up at the ceiling,” thanks.”

“Always a pleasure.” Still smiling, she grabs the bowl and water before heading back upstairs to her room, keeping the lights dim to avoid waking Sebastian up any earlier than necessary. He didn’t have classes today, so she figured he’d earned his rest. It didn’t take long for her to eat, mainly just munching on the blueberries as she picked out an outfit for today. She wasn’t sure what type of surprise Tony had planned, but she was sure that she was going to be comfortable for it.

Setting the bowl aside on a table, she moves back into her closet to grab her favorite pair of dark skinny jeans, a dark blue waterfall top, black button-up vest, thick socks, and fresh underwear before moving into the bathroom. The bathroom itself was smaller than the one back in New York, but it was still bigger than most people’s, so she considered herself lucky. She makes quick work of changing into the new outfit, brushing out her long hair and just leaving it down for today before moving on to her makeup, deciding on an ombre fingernail polish that changed from dark blue to plum.

After her nails were dried, she pulls a steampunk key necklace over her head and walks back out of the bathroom, grabbing her slouch bag and a pair of sturdy boots on the way back downstairs. Tony and Pepper were both waiting for her in the living room, Tony giving her a quick onceover to see if she was hungover or not.

“I followed the rules,” she tells him while lacing up the ties to her boots,” I only had two glasses of rum and coke and then I came back here and crashed.”

“I’ve never been so disappointed,” he deadpans,” and here I thought I raised you to be a troublemaker.”

“I didn’t have sex last night.” It was hard to tell, but she was certain his brown eyes widened behind his designer sunglasses.

“Haven’t we had this discussion? You’re not having sex until you’re eighty, and the person to commit the heinous act is going to be the guinea pig for my next experiment.” She nods along, able to repeat the words back to him verbatim if she’d felt like it. “Now, are you ready to head to the airport?”

“Now? I thought it didn’t leave till we got there?”

“That’s what I thought, too, but apparently we were both wrong. Go wake up your singing lobster and tell him a car’s waiting for him. I don’t need you griping at me the whole way there that you couldn’t drag him along.” Tony and Pepper walk out as Mari moves to the closest wall, pressing the intercom button that had her name etched into the metal below it.

“Seb, honey, it’s time to get up.” She could have heard his exhausted groan even without the intercom. “Get dressed and grab your bag, there’s a car waiting for you out front.” She didn’t move away until she could hear him walking around, then she grabbed her bag and went out front, smiling when she caught sight of the silver R8 Coup that Tony had decided on. It was his latest toy and they both loved how fast it was able to go.

The drive to the private airport was a fast one, Tony and Mari spending it coming up with different ways to lose Happy, who was driving behind them with the bags and Sebastian. Rhodey was waiting for them outside, looking none too pleased about being kept waiting. Mari pats Tony’s shoulder when they get out, leaving it to him to explain about why they were so late.

“Hey,” Rhodey calls after her,” no getting drunk!"


	3. The Jericho Missile

Mari groans when she wakes up the next morning, looking around in confusion. Her head was pounding, her throat felt like she’d swallowed sandpaper, but the worst thing was that her back felt like it was on fire.  _Why am I on the bar?_ She wasn't entirely sure she wanted to know the answer to that as she sat up, rubbing at her back where the wood had bit into it. "You feeling okay, Button," Tony asks as he walks past her. He'd called her button for as long as she can remember, the nickname referring to the fact that she had a button nose when she was a baby. He was also the only one who could call her that and survive to tell the tale. 

"I should've listened to Rhodey," she mutters, wincing as she lowers herself to her feet. "How did I end up out here?"

"Wish I could tell ya." Frowning, she stops one of the women running around and requests a cup of tea before joining the guys at the breakfast table. Rhodey looked worse than Mari felt, and poor Sebastian was still asleep with his head resting on his arms. In fact, Tony was the only one that didn't look like he'd spent the night drinking. The brunette stewardess from earlier sets the delicate tea cup down in front of Mari, receiving a nod of thanks as the teen sips on the scalding liquid. Green tea with peppermint usually helped settle her stomach when she was running short on time, but she'd still need to wear sunglasses until her headache went away. 

"Rhodey, do you know why I was sleeping on the bar?"

“You were on a hunt for Cheetos,” he answers quietly, rubbing his eyes. “You should probably go get dresses.” Mari makes a face at that, continuing to sip at her tea until it was gone. It was the smell of fresh food that drove her to her bedroom, knowing that seeing Tony eat would only make her tea come right back up. Mari’s bedroom on the plane was a little bigger than a walk-in closet, but it served her well enough with its own small bathroom and a simple mirror hanging on the wall across from the door.

It was her reflection that made Mari pause, taking in the tangled mess that was her hair and the way her nightgown was stained orange in places from the Cheetos she’d obviously found last night. “Note to self: No bourbon after midnight.” Nodding, she grabs her bag and heads into the bathroom, quickly brushing her teeth and hair before changing out of the ruined silk. Her outfit of the day was simple and easily put on, a loose tank top with an unbuttoned blue, plaid shirt over that, ripped jeans that hung low on her hips, blue and purple Converse, and a blue infinity scarf to hide the small hickeys Seb had given her last night.

Once she was satisfied with her outfit, she starts in on her hair, cursing as she tries to tame it enough that she could get it in a low ponytail that hung over her left shoulder. After that, she put on a light coat of concealer and powder to hide the circles under her eyes, some mascara, pale lipstick, and a coat of black polish on her nails. For jewelry, she slid on her half-ring with  _mischief managed_  stamped on it and a pair of black studs for her ears. The main rule Tony enforced with her was looking nice during presentations or when they went to benefits, so she did a double check in the mirror outside the bathroom before sliding on her sunglasses and joining the others back in the front.

Sebastian had woken up at some point and dressed in his usual style of nice jeans and a plain black top, with boots, and a black knit beanie over his messy hair. He seemed to be a little more awake than Mari was, and was even picking at a croissant. The smile Seb gave Mari as she sat down next to him could’ve made the sun envious, it was the type of smile that lit up his entire face and made Mari wonder why it took her so long to notice him in the first place.

“You look beautiful,” he murmurs, giving her a chaste kiss and twining their fingers together.  _What did I do to deserve such a great guy? I must’ve been a saint in my previous life_.

“Mm, you’re a liar,” she smiles up at him, resting her head on his shoulder,” but I love you anyway.” She only straightens up in her seat as the plan begins its descent, grabbing a piece of toast to nibble on as Seb slides his sunglasses on. Like Tony, Sebastian had an annoying ability to completely ignore a hangover and Marianna was left wondering what their secret was.

The military base they landed at was busier than some she’s visited, uniformed men and women running all over the place and barely sparing their guests a second glance as they exit the plane. “General,” Tony says as they walk over to a man with graying hair, the two shaking hands.

“Welcome, Mister Stark,” the old man greets,” we look forward to your weapons presentation.” Seb and Mari share a look, wondering why he’d decided she needed to watch him present another weapon that she’d never use. Sure the little weapon she kept in her purse came in handy on a college campus—it was disguised as a tube of lip gloss, but the second she pressed the cap to someone, it turned into a Taser. “How was your flight?”

“It was great.” Tony looks back to the plane as Rhodey comes out, the other man shielding his eyes from the glaring sunlight. “It was smooth, huh?”

“It could’ve been worse,” Mari replies, stepping up beside her brother and shaking hands with the General. “Marianna Pierce, it’s nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too, Miss Pierce. Right this way, please.” He gestures for them to follow him, walking to stand a few paces away from a line of men dressed in identical black and white uniforms, bayonets clasped in their hands. He gives a nod to another man, who yells out an order, and the men in line begin to do a routine involving the bayonets in their hands, spinning them and moving with them in fluid motions, like dancers. Mari leans closer to her boyfriend without taking her eyes off the routine.

“You think I could do that?”

“No,” he states confidently,” you’d lose an eye in the first two minutes.”  _Fair enough_. “This is really cool, though.” She nods in agreement, eyes widening a little as the guy calling out orders walks in the space between the two lines of men, not even flinching as they spin the bayonets into the proper position seconds before he passes by.

“That guy is a lot braver than I am.” Once the routine was finished and they gave polite applause—enthusiastic would better describe Seb and Mari’s—they all pile into three armored Humvees to be driven further out into the desert for the weapons demonstration. This far out means it would be something bigger than a gun.  _Maybe Tony designed a new tank and I’ll be able to drive it around_.

They stop after an hour or so, in the middle of nowhere with snowcapped mountains in front of them and a large, sand-colored missile system to their right. In his designer suit and sunglasses, Tony cut an impressive figure, drawing everyone’s attention as he stood in front of them to give his little speech.

“Is it better to be feared or respected,” he questions. “I say, is it too much to as for both? With that in mind, I humbly present the crown jewel of Stark Industries’ Freedom Line.” Mari’s gaze moves back to the missiles, three of them situated on the stand and pointing towards the mountains. “It’s the first missile system to incorporate our proprietary repulsor technology.  _They_  say the best weapon is one you never have to fire. I respectfully disagree. I prefer the weapon you only have to fire once. That’s how Dad did it. That’s how America does it. And it’s worked out pretty well so far. Find an excuse to let one of these off the chain, and I personally guarantee you the bad guys won’t even want to come out of their caves.”

He gestures to the missile system, everyone in attendance watching as the system fires up, aiming towards a specific point in the mountains and firing off one of the missiles. The outer shell of it explodes when it reaches its peak, smaller missiles joining the main part as they rain down on the mountainside. “For your consideration,” Tony continues,” the Jericho.” He raises his arms, completely straight-faced even as the missiles make contact and blow parts of the mountain to smithereens, the force of the explosion causing dirt to fly their way, knocking off some hats and making Mari turn her head to the side to avoid having her new sunglasses scratched to hell.

Several of the men start to load up the system in the Humvee leading the little convoy, Tony grabbing a glass of liquor before getting in the middle one, ruffling Mari’s hair as he walks past. “I’m riding with Rhodey,” she calls out to him, straightening her ponytail.

“Alright, but you have to annoy him for me.”

“How else would I pass the time.” He winks, Rhodey following him to the Humvee in the middle while Sebastian and Mari get in the very last one. “So, you get your paper over that expensive wine finished yet?”

“For the most part,” Seb nods, scooting over to let Rhodey climb in beside him. “All I have to do is read over it to fix any of the mistakes and then email it to my professor.” Unlike Mari, Seb actually knew what he wanted to be when he grew up, though he said he’d rather take over his dad’s bookstore than have his own restaurant. Either way, cooking was something most of the Boudreaux men were good at even if they never followed that particular dream past college. Seb still held out hope that his younger brother would be the one to break out and do well, though Jackson seemed more interested in his comic books.

“What are you gonna do for the semester presentation?”

“I was thinking of bringing you in and feeding you whatever’s quickest to make, and then having them watch the expressions of pure awe you make whenever you eat my cooking.”

“The sad thing is that might actually work.”

“Can you two stop talking about food,” Rhodey asks. “My stomach’s starting to growl.” With a wicked grin, Mari leans over Seb to be closer to Rhodey and began to whisper.

“Macaroni and cheese, hot dogs, chili fries, barbeque sandw—”

There’s a large explosion from somewhere in front of them, their Humvee coming to a screeching halt that had Mari flying to the side against a seat and then to the ground with a grunt. “You two stay down!”

“Rhodey!”

“It’s gonna be okay, just stay down!” The doors opened as the soldiers poured out, Rhodey manning the gun on top while Sebastian covered Mari. She was shaking hard, trying to see what was going on from her spot on the floor, but Sebastian’s broad shoulders kept her from seeing anything. Too bad that didn’t muffle the sound, her= ears ringing from the gunshots and tears gathering as she realized people were actually dying. Sure, her brother makes and sells weapons that kill people, but the only dead body she’s seen has been her mom’s at her funeral.

“Seb,” she sobs, grasping tightly at his shirt and burying her face against his chest. He was holding her tightly, jaw clenching, and his entire frame shaking as he feels the same dread she does. “M-my brother!”

“He’ll be alright,” Seb promises, holding her tighter against him as another loud  _bang_  sounds. “We’ll all be okay, Mari. It’s gonna be okay.” He kept repeating it, more to himself than to her, but she focused on his voice and squeezed her eyes shut. Suddenly the Humvee begins to tilt, tossing them against the hard interior.

And then everything faded away….

 


	4. Regaining Consciousness

_Mari was exhausted, she had the beginnings of a hangover, and she was still expected to meet some kid a grade higher than her in the library for a tutoring session. Maybe it won't be so bad and he'll just sit in one spot and talk about things she already knew? She could only hope since she'd barely had time to sleep the night before thanks to her brother throwing a welcome home party for the two of them. As it was, she was already in the library and was lying on one of the hard tables with her textbook opened over her face to block out the lights._

_"Uh, Marianna Pierce?" The hesitant voice was male, a little lower than most of the boys' she'd talked to before, and she recognized it from her advanced English Literature class. The real trick would be putting it with a face and a name, but it was harder than she thought it would be since she spends more time in Las Vegas or the Bahamas than in her classes. **Maybe he's that guy that dresses like a member of KISS?**  Timothy Ozmand wasn't so bad looking, he just wasn't Mari's type in the long run of things. She preferred guys that were the complete opposite of Tony Stark and she was pretty sure Tony would prefer that as well._

_"Last I checked, that was my name," Mari states, moving aside the book and sitting up to look at her new student teacher in all things Civil War. She'd honestly expected to find some skinny kid wearing a bow tie and Urkel glasses or Ozzy in his signature leather jacket and torn jeans, but she was pleasantly surprised to find the teacher's golden child instead. Sebastian Boudreaux was definitely her type, dressing in preppy clothes yet somehow making them look cool and not snotty, and his dark hair curled a little around his ears. Let's not leave out his eyes, a gorgeous dark green that could put even the purest of emeralds to shame._

**_Oh no, he's hot._ **

_She couldn't help it, the guy could've walked off the runway five minutes ago and she seriously doubted his amazing complexion came out of a bottle. How was she expected to read about the Civil War when her teacher is a real life fucking Ken doll? He was blushing as he stared at her, his hands in the pockets of his jeans and his bag hanging off his shoulder._

_"I'm Sebastian Boudreaux. Naismith asked me to help you out in your history class since you were absent a lot."_

_"Yeah, my brother says history isn't an important class, but I think that was just his excuse to get me to leave my books at home." She was blushing too now, wishing she could be as confident as Tony was. **Shyness is a massive bitch.**  It seemed Sebastian was as shy as she was as he sat down in a sit, gesturing for her to sit in the one next to him. Blushing harder than even him, she does so and set her book down on the table, watching as Sebastian flips through to the right chapter._

_"Alright, let's start with Lincoln."  
_

* * *

Mari cracks open her eyes enough to look around, everything blurry and distorted, and the voices of people sounding muffled. She couldn't make out much, just a bunch of coarse sand and loud noises. Someone might have been lying next to her, but she wasn't conscious long enough to find out who.

* * *

_The first time Marianna met her biological brother, she was with Seb at the New Haven Gym and Spa, studying and doing sit-ups, so her gym coach would get off her back about eating Sour Patch Kids all the time. How was it her fault that the candy way like sugar-coated crack? She grunts as she sits up again, Seb standing on the edge of her running shoes to keep her feet on the ground._

_They'd been at it for only fifteen minutes, but her cheeks were already a dark red that matched her ponytail and she was beyond out of breath. She hated exercising, she'd rather be lying on the couch eating pizza than doing sit-ups and fucking studying. But, unfortunately for her, Sebastian Boudreaux was nothing if not studious. "Who did Cleopatra have her daughter and youngest son with," Seb questions, cocking up a brow Mari rested on the ground for a moment, wiping sweat off her forehead before it could get in her eyes._

_"Marc Antony of Rome," she answers breathlessly. With a small grunt, she sits up and the man drops a Sour Patch Kid in her mouth before asking another question._

_"What was her daughter's name?"_

_"Selena." She rises back up and opens her mouth expectantly, but Sebastian just stares at her with an arched brow. "What? Was I at least close?" Seb says nothing, continuing to stare. "Fine, it was…. It was…. Cleopatra Selene. Right?"_

_"I knew you knew it." Despite his tone, he smiles at Mari and drops another piece of candy into her mouth. Mari drops back to the ground, staring up at the tiled ceiling as she caught her breath, not noticing anything out of the ordinary until Sebastian began to speak to someone other than her. "Can I help you?" Mari sits up fully to look at the newcomer, finding a man standing just inside the room and watching them intently._

_He was the type of man that would cause women to run into a pole if they saw him in the streets, the type you saw on magazine covers or soap operas. In short, he was probably any woman's wet dream as long as they had a thing for buff blonde guys. His gold hair was short and styled, he was tanned in that clichéd way you read about in books, his eyes were warm and a chocolate brown, and his lips were a perfect Cupid's bow shape. He was well-muscled, but not like a body-builder, and his goatee matched his hair, trimmed, and almost an exact replica of Tony's._

_"Sorry," the man apologizes with a smile," I was just curious as to what you both were doing." Sebastian gets off Mari's feet and helps her up so she could get a better look at the intruder without seeing up his nose. He had high cheekbones that were a lot like her own and it made her wonder if her mother had given birth to another kid and just didn't tell Mari about it. **Maybe he belongs to the mysterious guy that is my dad**. She'd never met the man before and found her curiosity piqued._

_"I'm Sebastian Boudreaux," Seb introduces politely, not noticing the way Marianna and the man were staring at each other in shock," and this is Marianna Pierce."_

_"A beautiful name." Marianna thought so too, even though she didn't look like a Marianna. She was too chubby to be considered beautiful and she was too shy to garner a cool reputation like her older brother had in high school. The way the man was looking at her made her think that he was enraptured by something, but she wasn't sure what. **Maybe he's just surprised that I haven't exploded yet.**  "I am Fandral."_

_"A strange name," Marianna comments, clutching at her middle with a grimace. "Uh, Seb, think Fandral and I could talk alone for a bit?" Sebastian gives a nod and was barely three feet away when Marianna speaks up again. "And leave the Sour Patch Kids, please." Sebastian throws her the packed he'd had on his book, walking out of the room and closing the door behind him. "Why do you look like me?"_

_"I could ask you the same question." There was a moment of silence, both of them studying the other as they took everything in. When his gaze landed on her bare arm, she realized he could see the way her veins were darker than normal people's and she crossed her arms over her chest self-consciously. The last thing she needed was another person to ask what was wrong with her when she wasn't sure herself. All her doctor could give her was that her blood was altered compared to normal samples and it could cause her episodes of failing health. "You have a blood disease, don't you?"_

_"That's none of your business."_

_"It's true, then." Her cheeks darken further and she avoids his stare when she notices the way his eyes shine with tears._   _"It's a blood disease that all half-bloods get, a defect in the genes Asgardians pass on to their human children." Marianna's head snaps up at his words, uneasiness and anxiety making her stomach ache._

_"You're insane, buddy. Asgard is just a place in those stupid books my brother's obsessed with."_

_"No, Marianna, they're not. You're part of a race that you probably didn't even know existed until this moment, and it's a lot to take in, but I want to help you. They have made great advances in my realm, your blood disease can be slowed down until it hardly affects you anymore."_

_"Stranger danger," she shouts suddenly, charging past him and out the door of the room. "Stranger danger!_ "

* * *

The next time she wakes up, she’s a little more lucid and able to blink away the blurriness, able to make out that the room she’s in is pale blue. She’d know that color anywhere, it belonged on the walls of her private suit in the hospital. Swallowing hard, Mari attempts to sit up, barely managing it when a sharp pains takes her breath away and makes her let out a whimper. Once the pain subsided to a dull ache, she takes a better look around her, finding the windowsill crowded with vases of flowers and cards from the local Walgreens, the bedside table holding her cellphone, an old Gameboy, and a laptop that didn’t belong to her.

Across from her bed was a decent-sized flat screen, but it was turned off, and a dark purple curtain on her right obstructed anything she might have seen otherwise. The bed she was on was comfortable enough, an expensive mattress cushioning her against the hard plastic and metal frame, her favorite pillow from home under her head, and the bright red comforter keeping her warm was an early Christmas present from Tony last year.

She just couldn’t remember how she came to be back in New York or why exactly she was in the hospital to begin with. Aside from her ribs, she could see a smattering of bruises covering her arms, her left wrist was in a sort of cast to keep it immobilized, an ACE bandage was wrapped around her left knee, and she could tell she had stitches just over her right eye from the way it itched.  _What the hell happened to me?_

“Good afternoon, Miss Pierce,” a familiar voice chimes, followed immediately after by the person it belongs to appearing on her side of the private suit. She would know the doctor anywhere since she’s seen him every month since her birth. He was in his late forties with graying brown hair, a lined face, and baby blue eyes that made you want to bare your soul to him.

“Doctor Dan,” Mari greets with a tiny smile, wanting to sit up more than anything, but knowing better after her previous attempt. “What’s going on?” He looked sad this time around, perching on the edge of the bed and ignoring Mari’s question as he checked that she hadn’t torn out her IV, and then listened to her chest with his stethoscope. Nodding, he pulls out a pen out of his coat pocket and writes something down in her chart.

“What do you remember, Marianna?” Her brows furrow at his odd question, thinking back to the past few days. There were a lot of blanks, but she could recall a few loud noises, family breakfast on the private jet, and an odd dream about being in a Humvee that was actually a rollercoaster, taking the loops too fast.

“Uh…” She trails off, fear punching her straight in the gut as more of the memories are filled in. The Humvee spinning out of control, bullets zipping through the air, and Tony’s screams. “Where’s my brother?” She was close to tears, her heart monitor beeping loudly as she glanced around, hoping to find Tony just behind the curtain. “Where’s Tony? What happened?” Daniel Strong had never looked so run down before as he reaches out to cover Mari’s hand with his.

“You were pulled out of a wrecked Humvee three days ago, you sustained relatively minor injuries—sprained wrist and knee, a gash above your eyes, and bruised ribs.” He clears his throat, not meeting her gaze. “Sebastian dislocated his shoulder and had a concussion, but he was able to stay conscious enough to help Colonel Rhodes pull you out.” He bit his lip, finally looking up at Mari and noting how shallow her breaths had become. “Tony Stark is believed to have been captured by a terrorist group called the Ten Rings as he was not found near the wreckage. I’m so sorry, Marianna.”

“No.” She shakes her head and tries to sit up again, wanting nothing more than to wake up back on the plane with her brother walking around in his Hugh Heffner robe. “It’s a joke, it’s some kind of cruel joke. Tony! Tony, where are you hiding?” But Tony didn’t jump out with a huge grin on his face, there was no muffled laughter from his hiding place, there was nothing but the sound of Mari’s heart monitor’s beeping speeding up to match her heart.

And just like that, her entire world crashed down around her for the second time in ten years.


	5. The Miraculous Return of Tony Stark

For the first two weeks after she was released from the hospital, Mari was bogged down by mourners that decided to stop by, forced to give interviews about what had happened in Afghanistan, or attending meetings with Obie that Tony should've gone to. In those two weeks, she wasn't able to slow down and think about what had just happened, but then Obie took over as he did after Tony's father died, and she was left with nothing to keep her mind occupied. She found myself staying in the garage-turned-lab, sitting in her brother's chair and staring blankly ahead at the pictures there—his parents when they were younger, him and his father building an engine, him and the man that inspired Jarvis, him and Mari the day her adoption was finalized. She was nine, still dressed in black, and too pale to have spent much of her life in California, but now she was back to that stage.

The newest picture on his desk was from a few months ago, Tony and Mari dressed in their Halloween costumes, him the Mad Hatter and her as Alice, grinning and holding up their drinks of choice in a toast with his free arm wrapped around her shoulders and hers around his waist.

She wished more than anything that she could go back to that night, enjoy the colorful spotlights, the fog machine that gave everything a spooky feel, and the gummy spiders she and Tony had thrown at each other when everyone else had gone home. That was one of her favorite parties, there had been no reporters and only their closest friends had been invited. She didn't have to pretend to be Tony Stark's sweet little charity case, she was just Marianna Pierce.

As the days went on and her hope started to wane, she spent more time back upstairs and completing online college courses for a business degree. On the rare occasion three months later that she wasn't studying like crazy, Pepper found Seb and Mari at the gym downtown, though Seb was the only one working out. He was in the middle of doing push-ups and she was sitting on his back reading off random pastry names when Pepper and Happy walked into the backroom, Pepper looking unreasonably happy about something.

"What's going on," Mari asks uncertainly, sliding off her boyfriend and helping him up as they turned to face the pair standing in the doorway.

"He's back," Pepper tells her, blue eyes practically sparkling with the news. "He's on his way to the airport right now with Rhodey."

It really was funny the way Fate worked out, Mari found out she had a half-brother in this very same room just four years ago and now she was finding out that her other brother was alive and on his way home. On second thought, Fate was what took her brother away, so it should just fuck right off before Mari gets ahold of it. She wasted little time in gathering her laptop before she sprinted out to the town car, the others quickly following after her like they thought she might have stolen the car.  _You take Tony's favorite car out one time without asking permission and suddenly you have 'grand theft auto' stamped in your permanent record_.

Happy drives as quickly as he can to Stark Industries' private airport, the same one they met at to go to that doomed weapons presentation. The airport was mainly empty this late in the afternoon, but a private jet was just in front of them, in the process of unloading as all of the group get out of the car and move to stand in front of it. Happy, Pepper, and Sebastian had polite smiles on their faces, but Mari was practically bursting with excitement as the door opened to reveal her brother standing with some help from Rhodey. He was in the very back of the plane where they normally kept cars, his wheelchair strapped down tightly to keep him from rolling all over the place, but he was too proud to use it to walk down the ramp.

Tears stinging her eyes, Mari jumped forward and wrapped her arms around her brother’s neck, careful not to jar the arm that was in a sling as she rested her head on his shoulder. “I missed you,” she whispers, fighting to keep the tears in check since she knew crying made Tony uncomfortable.

“Missed you more, Button.” He’d wrapped his left arm around her middle, his cheeks resting against the top of her head after he placed a kiss there. He really had missed his little sister while he’d been held captive, the thought of the grief she’d feel thinking he was dead eating him up at night. “I’m back now and I’ll never leave you again, I promise.”

“Good, I’d have to hurt you if you did.” With a sad smile, she pulls back and turns with him to face the others. Sebastian offers up a respectful nod, Happy looked a little smug that he’d been right all along, and Pepper was giving Tony a subdued smile as she tried to hide the worry that had been gnawing at her for the past three months.

“Your eyes are red,” he states as he comes to stand a few feet from his assistant, his good hand tucked in the coat pocket of his designer suit. “A few tears for your long-lost boss?”

“Tears of joy,” Pepper returns,” I hate job hunting.”

“Yeah, vacation’s over.” He moves past everyone to the car, he, Mari, and Pepper getting in the back while Sebastian and Happy occupied the front two seats. Now that they weren’t in the glaring light of the sun, Mari was able to see the bruises and scrapes that dotted her brother’s face, the dark circles under his eyes and the scars on his knuckles telling her that he’d been in a fight recently.

“Take us to the hospital, Happy.”

“No.”

“Anthony Edward Stark,” Mari says in a warning tone he was well-used to hearing,” you’re going to the hospital whether you like it or not.”

“Hey, I’m bigger than you, so you don’t get to boss me around.” The looks she sent his way made it clear that he was wrong in that regard, and Tony even hunched his shoulders a bit under it. It was a look that she’d mastered by age twelve, one that usually meant she wasn’t afraid to knock him out and drag him to the hospital. “Just… Please, I just got back and I have more important things to do.”

“Like what,” Sebastian demanded, turning in his seat to look back at them.

“Like deporting you to Mexico if you don’t stay out of this, Boudreaux.” Tony stares down at his feet for a moment as he thought things over, Mari worried for a second that he was plotting to catapult Seb over the border using a giant slingshot. “Happy, we’re getting a cheeseburger while Pepper calls for a press conference.”

“While Pepper does what,” she repeats, the girls looking at him like he’d lost his mind. “Why am I calling a press conference?”

“Let’s move, Happy.” Tony turned his gaze to Marianna, noting how her veins looked darker than the last time he’d seen her and that she winced periodically from the burning the disease caused. He wasn’t sure if it had a name, but he did know that most half-bloods got it because their human DNA rejected the Asgardian DNA passed through them. Sure, she was a bit stronger than a normal girl her age, but there were also weeks where she could barely get out of bed without assistance. “What do you think, Button? Twenty-four-hour gaming marathon?”

She smiles up at her brother, absently running a hand over the inside of her right arm as she fought through the pain. “I’m up for it of you are, old man.”

* * *

There was a large group of reporters gathered outside Stark Industries as the town car pulled up front, all of them clapping in time with Obie. Mari wasn’t really looking forward to being in a room crammed full of newsmongers, but she supposed it was better to get it over with now. She was the first out of the car, followed by Tony and Pepper as Sebastian decided to stay with Happy.

“Tony,” Obadiah greets happily, pulling the other man into a bone-crushing hug as pictures were snapped. “We were going to meet at the hospital.”

“He was too stubborn to go there,” Mari informs him, the top of her head barely reaching Obie’s chest as she’s pulled into a hug next. He’d come by often to check on her during the three months Tony was gone, and he only seemed to relax when he knew that Fandral was somewhere in the house with her. Sebastian rolls down his window and holds out a Burger King sack, letting Tony grab another burger out of it while Mari wrapped her fingers tighter around her mocha frappé.

“You just had to stop for a burger?”

“Of course,” Tony answered as all of them headed for the entrance.

“Did you at least get me one?”

“This is the last one and I don’t share well.” The building was larger than some of the others Mari’s been in, but it was the most familiar to her, so she could navigate the halls with her eyes shut. Hell, she had done that when she was seven, but she ended up locked in a supply closet for three hours—when her mother and Tony found her, she had already curled up on the top shelf and fell asleep.

The press room was even more crowded than outside had been with more people filing inside by the minute, Tony, Obie, and Mari making their way towards the front where a podium was on a raised dais. “Let’s get started, shall we?” Obie had stepped up behind the podium, speaking with a grace that made Mari jealous.

“Hey,” Tony called out from the floor in front of the podium,” would it be all right if everyone sat down?” He pulled another burger out of his pocket as Mari joined him on the edge of the dais, suddenly grateful that she hadn’t worn her gym clothes to meet Tony after all. Sure, she didn’t dress like Malibu Barbie, but she wasn’t in a baggy tank top and mismatched socks either. “Why don’t you just sit down? That way you can see me, and I can…” The crowd follows his suggestion, Obie sitting on the other side of Tony with an uncertain smile. Mari didn’t care one way or the other, but she was glad that she could sit and breathe a little easier. “Good to see you.”

“Good to see you,” Obie returns, resting a hand on Tony’s shoulder.

“I never got to say goodbye to Dad.” His dark eyes turn to the crowd, people already scribbling away in their notepads. “I never got to say goodbye to my father just like my sister never got to tell her mother goodbye. There’s questions I would have asked him, like how he felt about what this company did. Ig he was conflicted or ever had doubts. Maybe he really was every inch the man we all remember from the newsreels. I saw young Americans killed by the very weapons I created to defend and protect them. And I saw that I had become part of a system that is comfortable with zero accountability.”

He'd barely paused in talking when the reporters started calling out his names, some holding out recorders, some snapping even more pictures, and even more of them staring at him in confusion. “What happened over there,” a male reporter asked once chosen. Mari knew him well enough from all the parties she’d seen him at, a guy named Ben with a little boy that depended solely on him. Mari had never really spoken to the press about what happened, the events were still a little muddled in her mind, so she looked with everyone else to her older brother to explain as he stood up again.

“I had my eyes opened for me, I came to realize that I have more to offer this world than just making things blow up.” He moved to stand behind the podium, gesturing for his sister to stand as well and join him. Mari wasn’t sure what was about to come out of his mouth, but she trusted him more than she trusted anybody else in that room. Only when she was standing beside him did Tony start talking again. “And that is why, effective immediately, I am shutting down the weapons manufacturing division of Stark International until such a time as I can decide what the future of the company will be.”

Mari stares wide-eyed at her brother as the reporters stand abruptly and surge forward, yelling questions over each other as Obie takes up speaking, trying to be louder than Tony. Still in shock, Marianna allows Obie to nudge her and her brother through the crowd and to the door, her gaze locked on her brother as she registered what he said. Most of their money came from weapons manufacturing, was he trying to put them under?

“You’re insane.”

“It took you this long to figure that out, Button?”


End file.
